Railway-coupling.



- J. H. LE COMPTE.

RAILWAY COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 13. 1913.

1,154,327. PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

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Z 15%! I 3 2 5i 1 II I 1 COLUMBIA Pumoumn co., WASHINGTON. D. C.

J. H. LE COMPTE.

RAILWAY COUPLING.

APPLI 913. 1,154,327, PatentedSept. 21, 1915; 2 EEEEEEEEEEEE 2.

ililllllZ IINITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

JOSEPH LE COI/IP'IE, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO PETER T. PAULS AND ONE-THIRD TO EDWARD KOWALESKI, BOTH OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 21, 1%15,

Application filed October 13, 1913. Serial No. 794,805.

T all 1117:0122 it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH I-I. Ln CoMr'rn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the town of Maywood, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Couplers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

It has sometimes happened that couplers are broken owing to the rigid and absolutely immovable locking relation thereof, when, for some reason or another, the respective drawbars on which the same are connected are hindered in their movement. Often times also the curvature of the track, as in the cases oftemporary layouts, is such as to require an extraordinary ,movement of the drawbar about its pivot as the coupled cars move around the turn, and where such movement of the drawbar is. restricted there is a tendency to warp at'the connection of the drawheads and one or both of the knuckles may be broken. By my invention, however, I insure a close interlocking engagement between the knuckles of the re spective drawheads and yet provide an adjustable pivotal mounting for the knuckles which will permit movement between the drawheads and particularly the distortional or rotational movement occasioned when the coupled cars are rounding a curve.

It is an object of this invention to provide a coupler wherein the knuckle is pivotally mounted on a pin capable of movement in a slot in the draw head disposed tangential to a circle of which the locking pin is the center, and with resilient means bearing on the knuckle to maintain said knuckle pin normally in one extreme position of movement thereof.

It is finally an object of this invention to construct a device readily capable of coupling with other couplers of the same general type, although not of the same construction, and acting against spring pressure to automatically adjust itself to abnormal warping conditions imposed upon the coupler to prevent fracture thereof.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a coupler embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the coupler with the knuckles in elevation and showing the ad justment thereof when the respective drawheads are angled with respect to one another. Fig. 3 is a front face view of one of the drawheads and knuckle as the same appears uncoupled from a complementary drawhead. Fig. & is a section on line l4= of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a coupler knuckle. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, the coupler heads 1', are hollow, and are each provided in the top and bottom walls at one side thereof with alined slots 2, said slots being disposed tangential to a circle of which'the locking pin is the center, and being formed in enlargements or bosses 3, integral with said coupler head, and projecting outwardly on the outer surfaces of the top and bottom walls thereof respectively. Pivotally retained within each of the coupler heads 1, are the respective locking knuckles indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 4, said knuckles being retained in the coupler head by means of knuckle pivot pin 5, which project through the alined curved slots 2, in each of the coupler heads.

A washer 6, is engaged beneath the enlarged head on the upper end of each knuckle pin 5, said washer acting to close the slot 2, in the boss 3, on the upper wall of the coupler drawhead, and a similar washer 7, is engaged on the knuckle pin and covers the slot 2, in the lower wall of the drawhead, said latter washer 7, being retained in position by a cotter pin 8, which also serves to prevent removal of the knuckle pin 5. Each of the locking knuckles 4, are provided with a tail 9, which projects within the hollow coupler head 1, and is adapted to bear against a locking pin 10, insertible in the coupler head through apertures in the top and bottom thereof to lock the knuckle from pivotal movement when desired, as for instance when the device is coupled. provided with a locking head 11, the respectiveheads on the knuckles of a coupler being complementally formed to engage one another closely and in immovable relation when coupled together. Inasmuch as the Each of the knuckles 4, is also I.

heads 11, of the knuckles are of much greater depth than the tail portions 9, thereof, said heads are recessed as indicated at V 12, in order to permit the knuckle to be moved inwardly within the drawhead, due to the movement of the knuckle pin 5, in its slot, and of course the depth of said recess is equal to the amplitude of travel of the knuckle pin, so that consequently the outer ends of the slots 2, inasmuch as the drawheads are in line with one another. However, when the railway car is rounding a sharp curve, or other conditions arise tending to change the position of the drawheads with respect to one another, such a change is readily permitted by the movably mountedpivotedknuckle which, as illustrated in Fig, 2, W111 assume a position with the p vot r pin therefor at the rear of. the slot, it being observedthatsaid slots 2 aredisposed tan gential to their respective coupler pins 10,

which is the natural line of moavement'under such condition. I

For the purpose, of maintaining the knuckleswith the pivot pins normally in the forward'end of the slots, astrong leaf spring 13, is provided, WlllQll'lS connected one each within the coupler drawheads 1, on a rear wall thereof, and at its free end bears to friction.

I am aware that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention. I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitatedby the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

In a coupler of the class described, a draw head, a, locking knuckle therein, a coupler pin, 'a pivot pin for said knuckle, a slot in said, draw head disposed in a line tangential to a circle of which the locking pin is the center and, receiving said knuckle pivot pin, whereby the latter is permitted to change the position oflthe center of rotation of the knuckle, and means engaging said knuckle to return the same to" initial position when strain thereon is removed. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscrihedmy-name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH LE, oo P El Witnesses: i v l CHARL S lV. HILLS, J r.,

FRANK K; HUDsoN.

Copies of,this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressingflthe Commissioner of Patents.v Washington, D. 0'. g V n i 40 than .to perhaps retard the same slightly due 

